Railroad-tie.



PATENTED MAY 12, 1908.

A. HOLTON. RAILROAD TIE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 7.1907.

ALFORI) HOLTON, OF MILLERTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-TIE Specification of Letters Patent.

I No. 887,395..

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed August 7, 1907. Serial No. 337,524.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALroRD HoLToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Millerton, in the county 0 T ioga and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Railroad-Tie, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to metal cross ties for supporting railroad rails, the object of which is to rovide an integral metal tie with a wooden block or other slightly yielding substance at each end, secured thereto, on which blocks the rails rest and to'which they are fastened; and further, sim le and easy means by which the block of s ightly yielding substance may be removed from the cross-tie and another block inserted in its place at slight cost.

The cross tie designed for thispurpose is preferably made of cast metal about as lon as ordinary ties and comprises in generiil terms, a base plate having a flange rising vertically from its longitudinal center and equal in length to the base plate. Near each end of the flange is introduced an integrally formed box within which is placed a wooden block tightly fillin the box andv secured therein by means 0? a removable tie bar or strap closing the 0 en side-oi the. box. To these Wooden blocs the rails are spiked in the well known manner used at the present time with wood ties.

-With this and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel combination, construction and arrangement of-parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawmg:F1gure 1 1s a cross sectlonal view of a railroad track,

side and in section on the other. Fig. 2 is a plan view 'of a rail and cross tie on one side and a horizontal section of a cross tie on the other. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one end of a cross tie in skeleton illustrating its structure; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of thewooden block with a metal band on one base plate are a plurality of downward ex tending ribs 2 which serve to hold the cross tie inposition and prevent it moving endwise or creeping on curves and other places. In the longitudinal center of the base plat s a vertical flange 3 of equal length as The Mr e late and rising therefrom to a sun ble ieight, the ends 4 of said flange being In.- cllned downwardly. Equally spaced 1nwardly from each end of the tie is an inte' grally cast box 5 as wide as the base plate and somewhat higher than the flangebetween the boxes which latter interrupt the continuous length of the flange. The transverse centers of the boxes 5 are so placed with relation to each other that when the rails are fastened in place the distance between them will be the standard gage.

The boxes 5, which are alike, have each a length more than twice its width and three times its height. Its end walls Qrise vertically and parallel, across ,the base plate, and each has a narrow inwardly overhanging flange 7 At one side of the base late 1 is an integral vertical wall 8 of less height than the end wall 6 except at its ends where said ends connect with the flanges 7 by upward extensions 9. The top of the box is always 0 en but the opposite side is artly closed w lien the cross tie is in use. T 1e closure 10 consists of an angularly shaped metal tie bar or strap of less width than the height of the box 5 and having a straight portion 11 as long as the external length of the box 5 which fits into a notch 12 in the edge of each end wall 6 of the box. The tie bar or stra 10 has an angular portion 13 at each end which angular portions lie closely against the end walls 6 of the box until they reach the verticalflange 3, where the ends 14-. turn outwardl at a right angle for a short distance and he close against said vertical flange. The end portions 14 when the tie bar is put in place pass between two lugs 15 and 16 cast on the flange 3 and are fastened in place by a bolt- 17 on each side passing through the flange and the end portion 14 and secured by a nut 18.

Within each box 5 is fitted a solid rectangular wood block 19, each end protected by a metal band 20 that projects slightly, or about the thickness the band, above the block. Integral with the base plate 1 and within the box 5 are a plurality of ribs 21 extendin transversel across the base 1 in parallel lines e ualy spaced one from another. When t e block-is placed within. the box the tie bar or strap is removed and the part of the tie.

- )locks or chairs l9, and after gaging them,

block driven in from that side until it can be driven no further. In this position, theend bands bear at their sides against the wall 8 and the inner side of the tie band 10. The bottom. of the bands rest on the base plate and the top of the bands rest againstthe underside of the overhanging flanges 7. The tie band is now placed in position and fastened by the bolts 17 and nuts 18, thus holding the block firmly and immovably in position. It may be noted here that because the end bands on the block 19 project beyond the block on all sides, a space 22 is formed between the block and the fixed wall 8 of the box 5; a similar space 23 on the opposite side of the block and a plurality of spaces 24 at the bottom between the ribs and the end bands 2]. Any water entering the box will. immediately drain out under the tie band 10, or if desired this space may be filled with some substance such as tar. Because of the depressed or low wall 8, which is about one inchbelow the block, there is no danger of the rail coming in contact with any metal The rai-ls are placed on the they are fastened to the chairs by spikes in well known manner.

If at any time a block becomes defective and fails to hold the spikes, or for some other cause it is found necessary to remove it, this can be done very easily. The tie bar 10 is removed, and the block withdrawn from the box after first pulling out the spikes which hold the rail in place. The end bands are then drawn oil the old block and laced on the new one, should there be no locks already equipped. The block' then driven in place, the tie band applied andthe nuts and bolts fastening it screwed up as tightly as possible.

A railroad cross tic made after the above plan is strong, durable and gives the rails a slightly yielding base which is a desideration much sought after and here presented in a cheap and renewable iorm.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is:-

l. A railroad cross-tie comprising a metal structure having near each end a metal box with an open side and an open top, a block of slightly yielding material in each of said boxeson which the rails rest and to which they are spiked, a removable closure for the open side of each of said boxes to secure said blocks in place, and means on said blocks for keeping their sides out of contact with the sides and bottoms of said boxes.

2. A railroad cross tie comprising an integrally formed base plate, central flange and a box near each end of said tie, a wooden block closely fitting at its endseach of said boxes on Whieh'blocks the rails rest andto which they-are spiked, each of said boxes having vertical walls and open on its top and on one side and provided with flanges at the top of its end walls to overhang the ends of said blocks, and a tie band covering the side opening of each box bolted to said central flange.

3. A railroad tie comprising a flat plate, a rib rising centrally thereof, a box near each end of said plate, open at the top and one side, a wooden block having a metal band on each end projecting beyond the faces of the block, said banded block fitting snugly within the box and forming a space between said block and the sides of the box, and a removable box side having angular ends to bear on the central flange and means for fastening said parts in place.

4. A railroad tie comprising a base plate, a central upstanding flange extending from end to end of said base plate butinterrupted near each end by a box, the whole being integral, each of said boxes having a fixed side and two ends, a flange overhanging each end, ribs extending across the bottom of the box, and a wooden block with a metal band on each end fitting said box snugly, and a removable side fitting closely against said block and fastened to said upstanding flange, said blocks adapt ed to support the rails and be spiked thereto.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto allixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

v AL'FORD 'IIOUION. l Vitnesses:

J. M. Fnos'r, A. R. KELLEY. 

